Zimbabwean officials claim American dentist killed Cecil the lion
The Zimbabwean lion who was killed earlier this month after being lured off a national park is reported to have been killed by a dentist from Minnesota.
Earlier reports suggested that a Spaniard was responsible for killing the Cecil the lion, who was beloved by both locals and tourists, but both the Telegraph and the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force have today identified the man responsible as Walter Palmer, a dentist from a small town near Minneapolis.
Mr Palmer, who has hunted game all over the world, is believed to have paid €50,000 for the chance to hunt the lion who was killed around July 6th. He is now back in the US.
A spokesman for Mr Palmer told the Guardian newspaper that the hunter was “obviously quite upset over everything”.
“As far as I understand, Walter believes that he might have shot that lion that has been referred to as Cecil,” the spokesman said. “What he’ll tell you is that he had the proper legal permits and he had hired several professional guides, so he’s not denying that he may be the person who shot this lion.”
“He is a big game hunter; he hunts the world over.”
Photos on a hunting blog show Mr Palmer posing with an elk and a leopard that he killed with an arrow.
His professional Facebook page has been inundated with criticism since he was linked to the killing.
Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, said in a statement that they identified Mr Palmer from a hunting permit.
“They went hunting at night with a spotlight and they spotted Cecil,” Rodrigues said.
“They tied a dead animal to their vehicle to lure Cecil out of the park and they scented an area about half a kilometre from the park.”
Cecil was then shot with a bow and arrow but data from his GPS collar (as part of an Oxford University research project) show that he was then tracked for up to 40 hours before being killed with a rifle.
The lion was found decapitated with his skin removed. Rodrigues also claims that the hunters tried to destroy the collar but failed.
Two others were arrested earlier this month. They have been named as Theo Bronchorst, founder of Bushman Safaris Zimbabwe who is thought to have organised the hunt, and landowner Honest Trymore Ndlovu. They are due to appear in court on August 6.
Zimbabwe National Parks confirmed the charges in a statement:
"Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris, is facing criminal charges for allegedly killing a collared lion on Antoinette farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange district on 1 July 2015," the statement said.
"All persons implicated in this case are due to appear in court facing poaching charges. Both the professional hunter and land owner had no permit or quota to justify the offtake of the lion and therefore are liable for the illegal hunt."
Bronhurst has said they were unaware of the status of the lion - or that he was well-known.
